Newly crowned UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley is already lining himself up with some very interesting fights. After dispatching Robbie Lawler in the first round at UFC 201, ‘The Chosen One’ is now red-hot property in the UFC market. Challenges have come in left and right, but perhaps the most intriguing potential fights have come […]
Newly crowned UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley is already lining himself up with some very interesting fights. After dispatching Robbie Lawler in the first round at UFC 201, ‘The Chosen One’ is now red-hot property in the UFC market. Challenges have come in left and right, but perhaps the most intriguing potential fights have come from Woodley’s post-fight interview with Stephen Thompson.
‘Wonderboy’ issued a challenge to the new 170-pound boss just moments after his devastating knockout against Lawler, but it wasn’t a bout with Thompson that Woodley would acknowledge. Calling out former champion Georges St-Pierre and also Nick Diaz, ‘The Chosen One’ admitted he’s looking for the ‘money fights’ now. In quite the common theme, Woodley joins champions such as Conor McGregor, Dominick Cruz and Michael Bisping who have all reached outside their divisional rankings recently in search of big fights.
In terms of Woodley wanting to fight ‘GSP,’ there are a lot of questions that arise. Will St-Pierre even return and, if so, should he receive an immediate title shot? His last fight, a narrow win over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167, was now three years ago. The time has passed quickly, and UFC president Dana White recently stated in an interview that ‘Rush’ would ‘never fight again.’
Of course the word of White is by no means gospel, and St-Pierre has pondered the idea of a comeback pretty much since the moment he vacated the belt. With USADA (United States Anti Doping Agency) now running the show, perhaps ‘GSP’ will be happy to compete again.
Responding to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, St-Pierre confirmed today that he wants to fight Woodley. Although no solid date has ever been nailed down for ‘Rush’ to return, the clock is ultimately ticking for the ex-poster boy of the UFC. Many consider the Canadian star as the greatest welterweight to ever live, and he is constantly in the top end of the pound-for-pound argument.
Would you be keen to see St-Pierre come back to the UFC, or has the game passed him by?
While Michael Bisping’s next dance partner is all set, apparently another UFC title-holder has former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre interested in making an Octagon comeback.
Ariel Helwani reported at MMAFighting.com on Monday morning that …
While Michael Bisping’s next dance partner is all set, apparently another UFC title-holder has former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre interested in making an Octagon comeback.
Ariel Helwani reported at MMAFighting.com on Monday morning that former longtime 170-pound king Georges St-Pierre is interested in fighting new 170-pound champion, Tyron Woodley.
Woodley knocked out Robbie Lawler in the first round at UFC 201 on Saturday night to become the new UFC Welterweight Champion. After the show, Woodley claimed that he has his sights set on either Nick Diaz or Georges St-Pierre as the guy he would like to defend the title against first.
St-Pierre apparently feels the same.
Helwani texted GSP to ask him if he’s interested in fighting “The Chosen One” in his first 170-pound title defense, to which “Rush” simply replied, “Yes.”
St-Pierre last fought inside the Octagon at UFC 167 in November of 2013, edging out Johny Hendricks via close decision victory to retain his UFC Welterweight crown and retire as champion.
As far as Tyron Woodley is concerned, Stephen Thompson can wait.
While “Wonderboy” came right out and asked for his shot at the new UFC welterweight champion during an interview between the two on the UFC 201 post-fight show, Woodley has someone else in mind for his next fight.
Nick Diaz.
Diaz is set to come off suspension in the coming days and Woodley believes that is the “money” fight that will help him set his family up for the future. “The Chosen One” captured the belt with a first round finish of Robbie Lawler Saturday night.
“You said that you wanted to fight Lawler. Now you get the opportunity,” Woodley said. “Now Nick Diaz is coming off suspension in two days. If he wants to fight on the same card with his brother in August, he can against me. That’s the money fight. Let’s go get it. I’m ready.”
Woodley joins a panel on FOX Sports coverage of the UFC that includes champions Daniel Cormier, Dominick Cruz and Michael Bisping. Miesha Tate, another regular, is a former champion, as well.
“I couldn’t let us down,” Woodley joked. “That was some pressure. I was thinking, I can’t be the only one who works at FOX and comes back without a belt.”
As far as Tyron Woodley is concerned, Stephen Thompson can wait.
While “Wonderboy” came right out and asked for his shot at the new UFC welterweight champion during an interview between the two on the UFC 201 post-fight show, Woodley has someone else in mind for his next fight.
Nick Diaz.
Diaz is set to come off suspension in the coming days and Woodley believes that is the “money” fight that will help him set his family up for the future. “The Chosen One” captured the belt with a first round finish of Robbie Lawler Saturday night.
“You said that you wanted to fight Lawler. Now you get the opportunity,” Woodley said. “Now Nick Diaz is coming off suspension in two days. If he wants to fight on the same card with his brother in August, he can against me. That’s the money fight. Let’s go get it. I’m ready.”
Woodley joins a panel on FOX Sports coverage of the UFC that includes champions Daniel Cormier, Dominick Cruz and Michael Bisping. Miesha Tate, another regular, is a former champion, as well.
“I couldn’t let us down,” Woodley joked. “That was some pressure. I was thinking, I can’t be the only one who works at FOX and comes back without a belt.”
After an improbable three-year run to the UFC welterweight title, longtime veteran Robbie Lawler’s reign at the top came to an end with just one punch when Tyron Woodley floored him to steal the belt in the main event of last night’s (Sat., July 30, 2016) UFC 201 from Philips Arena in Atlanta. Many were quick […]
After an improbable three-year run to the UFC welterweight title, longtime veteran Robbie Lawler’s reign at the top came to an end with just one punch when Tyron Woodley floored him to steal the belt in the main event of last night’s (Sat., July 30, 2016) UFC 201 from Philips Arena in Atlanta.
Many were quick to point the finger at Lawler’s long list of recent wars against top opposition like Carlos Condit and Rory MacDonald as a sign that his chin was crumbling before Woodley put the finishing touches on it, but speaking at the post-fight press conference (courtesy of MMA Junkie), “Ruthless” didn’t believe that is the case:
The fan favorite slugger wouldn’t look that deep into performance, instead focusing on the simple fact that you just get caught at the highest levels of MMA:
“It’s alright, he caught me with the ol’ T-Wood bomb. I was just sitting back a little too much, and he took advantage of it. It was his night.”
As for what he plans to do next, Lawler said he would relax with his family before having the UFC decide what direction his career would head:
“They’ll kinda decide that, but I’m going to sit back, spend some time with my family, and figure out what I’m doing next. But I’m sure Dana will decide on what’s next.”
Many, including No. 1-ranked UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson had also criticized Lawler for perhaps being too stationary, but Lawler said he made one small mistake and Woodley capitalized on it to the fullest:
“I don’t know if I sat in front of him too much. But I think maybe right at the end, he feinted and I reached with my hands, and he threw a punch over top and took advantage of an opportunity and he did a great job.”
Building on that stance, Lawler wouldn’t make any excuses for his loss. He said he felt great before the fight and again, just got rocked by one huge punch:
“No, I think it’s just a guy who took advantage of a big punch and rocked me and jumped on and finished the job. I’m not going to speculate. I felt great going into the fight, so no excuses.”
There was also the teammate dynamic that was heavily hyped up by the UFC leading up to the bout, but Lawler said that didn’t come into play when asked. “Ruthless” stood fast in his statement that he would have starched Woodley if so presented with the chance:
“No not at all, I’m a mean individual and this is what I dod for a living so I woulda had no problem doing the same to him.”
And even though he said he would let the UFC decide where his career went next, Lawler seemed to change his tune a bit when probed again. With two straight title defense and a legitimate case for being involved in the “Fight of the Year” in the past three years, “Ruthless” finally revealed that he believes he deserves a rematch for the championship:
“Obviously, I think that if I went back in there, I would get a win,” he said. “Deserve and getting are two different things, but yeah, I feel I deserve something. But we’ll see if I get it.”
Based on his recent body of work, it’s hard to argue with the “Ruthless” one there. But with Thompson waiting anxiously for a much-deserved shot and Woodley calling out either the returning Nick Diaz or the rumored-to-be-returning Georges St. Pierre for a big money fight, there could be quite the queue of contenders built up when Lawler returns to the octagon, making another title shot a far-off possibility right now.
No matter what, Lawler still sits high upon the rankings of one of the most talented divisions in all of MMA. If Woodley does fight Thompson next, Lawler could certainly square off with Diaz, as the two have a built-in rematch angle from their historic bout in 2004 where Diaz knocked Lawler out.
If Woodley faces Diaz (or even GSP), Lawler could face Thompson in the bout “Wonderboy” was hoping would be contested for the title after last night.
And in that fight, we could truly find out if there’s any merits to those claiming Lawler’s iron chin is finally starting to fade.
Following Saturday night’s UFC pay-per-view event, UFC President Dana White spoke backstage with Megan Olivi to share his thoughts on what was an eventful evening in Atlanta, Georgia.
Regarding the Lawler-Woodley main…
https://youtu.be/1e1Q5xuA7Mc
Following Saturday night’s UFC pay-per-view event, UFC President Dana White spoke backstage with Megan Olivi to share his thoughts on what was an eventful evening in Atlanta, Georgia.
Regarding the Lawler-Woodley main event ending so quickly and violently, White offered the following take to Olivi.
“That’s exactly how everyone thought it would go. If Tyron Woodley could catch him in the first round with his fast, explosive punches he would probably catch Robbie and knock him out. But if Robbie took him in the second and third round, Woodley tends to gas and Robbie would dominate. That’s exactly how I saw it going, and that’s the way it went.”
Check out the complete post-UFC 201 backstage interview with UFC President Dana White above.
For highlights of the Lawler-Woodley fight from Saturday night, click here. For complete results of the entire event, click here.
It’s Sunday morning, and the MMA world is collectively left to sit and chew on yet another shocking upset in a UFC title fight. Today, it comes in the form of Tyron Woodley’s first-round knockout of Robbie Lawler in the main event of last night’s (Sat., July 30, 2016) UFC 201 from Philips Arena in […]
It’s Sunday morning, and the MMA world is collectively left to sit and chew on yet another shocking upset in a UFC title fight.
Today, it comes in the form of Tyron Woodley’s first-round knockout of Robbie Lawler in the main event of last night’s (Sat., July 30, 2016) UFC 201 from Philips Arena in Atlanta, and while we probably shouldn’t be all that surprised due to “T-Wood’s” power and Lawler’s propensity for getting hit, it’s simply the latest in a long line of touted champions who just can’t hold onto their belts for all that long in today’s evolving MMA landscape.
All in all, seven champions have been dethroned already in 2016 after Dominick Cruz, Miesha Tate, Stipe Miocic, Michael Bisping, Eddie Alvarez, Amanda Nunes, and now Woodley unseated relatively new champions in their own right. Gone are the days of dominant champions like Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre. Jon Jones is still here, technically, but his own actions have put a serious halt to his otherwise dominant career that is now on hold for an undetermined amount of time.
To put it in a stark kind of perspective, since Woodley last fought and beat Kelvin Gastelum by split decision at UFC 182, the only champ from that time to still have the belt is Demetrious Johnson after Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Rafael dos Anjos, Daniel Cormier, Fabricio Werdum, Holly Holm, Luke Rockhold, and Conor McGregor all won their respective titles in 2015. That’s 14 new champs in a year-and-a-half, folks, and that’s the kind of shakeup that can only be seen in mixed martial arts.
Just what that means for a sport where the UFC was recently purchased for a record-setting $4 billion remains to be seen. On the surface, business has never been better, but it’s hard to say if that’s sustainable for any long-term timeframe.
Also on the surface, it would appear that, with Ronda Rousey absent from the sport and obviously not a champion, the UFC has one true and proven top pay-per-view (PPV) draw in McGregor, and he hasn’t even defended the belt he won from Jose Aldo last year.
There is going to be the argument that the frequent changing of titles prevents marketable stars from being built, and of course there will be the side that supports and applauds the inherent unpredictability of fighting and the excitement that comes along with it. Which side are you on?
